Innholdsfortegnelse for Frech Cottage Slyle 2023 i Southern Home

At the heart of the French aesthetic is an appreciation of simple beauty, and the wares found at French General perfectly illustrate this principle. It’s easy to see why owner Kaari Meng says she collects many of the items she sells. The shop is a rainbow of vibrant buttons, beads, and spools of velvety ribbon. Tiny stuffed birds and bees alight on silk flowers, and imported textiles—everything from nubby wheat-colored hemp aprons to soft, scarlet-hued cotton towels—are casually displayed. “When I walk into [the shop], I usually feel like I am at home, surrounded by small bits and pieces that were left behind,” she says. “I am simply taking care of them while I am here.” Kaari and her sister, Molly, first opened French General in a barn along the…

When Nancy and Mark Peeples built their cozy cottage, they designed it with the mountains in mind. “My husband loves the West, the mountains, and hunting,” Nancy says. “So we were trying to have some sort of comfortable, elegant version of that.” Their charming cottage exterior is sided with hand-split cedar shakes and is unlike any of the homes in their neighborhood. “We’ve got a real mountain retreat in the middle of [Alabama],” she laughs. The couple’s enchanting abode exudes an upscale elegance while still maintaining personal touches. With the help of interior designer Mary Finch, Nancy outfitted her cottage with one-of-a-kind salvaged finds and antiques from around the world. The great room stands tall beneath the home’s A-frame, and reclaimed beams help draw the eye upward. The limestone fireplace…

Point Clear, Alabama, boasts the unique reputation of being a place that promotes laid-back living—but with a certain panache. Common among its residents is a sense of a graciousness that has developed from a long-held appreciation for life’s finer offerings. The same could be said of Richard and Anita Bounds and their congenially refined home. Designed by Mobile architect L. Craig Roberts, the Boundses’ house displays a deceptively clever affinity with the past, though in fact it was constructed in 2004. Also, since Craig had created two previous residences for the couple, he was well-versed in their tastes and day-to-day lifestyle. “As I did with their first home, built in 1978, I took inspiration from the Greek Revival style,” Craig explains, “along with French Colonial influences. The latter is in…

My husband one day drew the floor plan [of our house] on a napkin at a restaurant and said that this would be a perfect family home for us and our three children,” interior designer Julie Ponze says of her elegant yet relaxed New Orleans home. “After that we met with an architect, Brian Parr, who made our dream a reality.” Fifteen years later, Julie is still a fan of the classic design choices they made. Though she worked as a schoolteacher for 20 years, design has always been a passion for Julie. “My mother says I’ve been doing interior design since I was three years old, when I would rearrange all the shoes in her closet and later all the glasses on the bar,” Julie says with a laugh.…

Throughout the ages, fine linens have been cherished and valued as much as silver and fine porcelain. To gently run your fingertips over the soft sheen of antique linen fabric is to personally touch the past. To get the trademark luxuriously soft feel European linens are known for, it all begins with a flax plant. Before the exceptionally strong flaxfibers can be spun into linen, they first have to be separated from the rest of the stalk in a process known as retting. The highest-quality linen is retted in slow-moving natural water sources. European linens are among the finest in the world, with the French producing some of the whitest and most delicate of textiles. Collecting European linens is now an adored pastime, and one that shop owner Pat Camp…

When asked to describe the style of her home, the owner responds, “Country French.” And when asked her personal style, she shares, “It’s casual and comfortable.” The intermingling of these two styles has resulted in an inviting home with French influences. As you enter through the arched door you step into a light-filled hallway. The glass chandelier overhead is an antique thought to be originally from France. The grandfather clock and chest were both purchased years ago in New Orleans, long a source for French antiques. Just off the hall sits the living room. The homeowner explained the room’s color palette was influenced by the colors in the rug. The choice was either to go with dark colors or light, and she chose light. “I’m afraid of color,” she laughs.…

Architect Michael Graves once said, “Architecture is not all about the design of the building and nothing else, it is also about the cultural setting and the ambience, the whole affair.” And that may be one reason today’s designers are so interested in collecting remnants of the buildings from earlier times. Small pieces of moldings, an old mantel, a balustrade—they introduce a little bit of history and character to our homes. The shop, Maison de France Antiques, specializes in old, architectural remnants from France. Ginny Smith, co-owner, says, “It’s like Christmas every time we open a container. I love that every item is original.” And for shoppers, it’s a treasure hunt for a bit of history.…

The first inkling of any French influence greets you at the front door. Purchased in New Orleans, the door is covered with decorative ironwork evoking its French heritage. The detailed ironwork is also used for the stair railings and balcony in the foyer. When asked her favorite thing about the house, the homeowner replies, “The light. I could cook on a camp stove, but I need lots of windows.” So the light-filled living room with its walls of windows gracefully fulfills that desire. The painting above the limestone mantel adds a pop of color to the otherwise neutral design. Just off the living room is the formal dining room often used for entertaining. The room is filled with a combination of French pieces and American antiques, such as the Duncan…

Nestled into the graceful curve of a winding front drive, Mary Finch’s beautiful mountaintop home bears the facade of a Loire Valley château—a fitting residence for a woman with an abiding affinity for French style. Once inside, the décor affirms the initial impression, with a magnificent assemblage of antiques and art that completely captures the attention of anyone who enters. With an eye for detail and an innate talent for arranging eclectic curios into enchanting vignettes, Mary has spent years refining her sense of style. She lived in a stately Georgian prior to purchasing and renovating this diamond in the rough that lay hidden under years of inattention—and a massive tangle of wisteria. Undaunted, she’s spent the last 11 years polishing the interior spaces to their present shine. The rooms…

GALLIC CHIC Pages 9-12: Items from French General. EUROPEAN LINENS Pages 13-18: Pat Camp, Thompson House Antiques and Fine Interiors. Photography by Jim Bathie. Styling by Yukie McLean. FRENCH FINDS IN THE HEART OF TEXAS Pages 19-22: Text by Hannah Jones. A BIT OF HISTORY Pages 23-26: All products from Maison de France Antiques. Photography by William Dickey. Styling by Yukie McLean. COMFORTABLE ELEGANCE Pages 29-36: Interior design by Mary McCollister Finch, Mary McCollister Finch & Company. IN THE DETAILS Pages 37-46: Artwork in dining room by Nall. Photography by John O’Hagan. FRENCH INFLUENCE Pages 47-58: Architectural design by Henry Sprott Long & Associates. Built by Steve Bryant, Francis Bryant Construction, Inc. Interiors by Ann Luce, Hawkins-Israel Co Interiors. Photography by John O’Hagan. Styling by Yukie McLean. CULTIVATED STYLE Pages…